Farmers flee as extremists kill 19 villagers

By

AP

PublishedTuesday, January 21, 2014

Residents in the northeast Nigerian farming village of Alau say extremists killed 19 people and burned hundreds of thatched homes in a nighttime attack.

A farmer in the village south of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, said Monday the attack was launched late Sunday night by Boko Haram members. He spoke on condition of anonymity so that he wouldn't be targeted again.

He says that he and many others fled the village after the burial, fearing for their lives. Women and children were injured.

The attack comes on the heels of similar attacks in other remote villages and as Nigeria's president announced a major reshuffle of the military command.

Boko Haram militants have killed thousands during their 4-year-old uprising in the northeast.